Admirals Suffer First Regulation Loss

WILKES-BARRE, Pennsylvania - The Admirals suffered their first loss of the season Sunday evening in Wilkes-Barre, as the Penguins defeated Norfolk 6-3.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton scored four unanswered goals in the opening frame. Marc-Antoine Pouliot scored on the power play at 7:11 by firing a rebound from a Daniel Carcillo shot past Norfolk netminder Corey Crawford.

Three minutes later, Ryan Stone sent a centering feed to Jonathan Filewich in the slot that the Penguins left wing one-timed into the back of the net at 10:15. Just twenty-five seconds later, Carcillo sent a shot from the top of the crease through Crawford's pads at 10:40.

Erik Christensen made it 4-0 Wilkes-Barre when his shot through the screen found the top corner of the net at 12:02.

The Admirals closed the gap to three with a power play goal 6:35 into the second period. Brandon Bochenski received a pass at the bottom of the left circle on his backhand. He spun around, put the puck on his forehand and fired a no-look, cross-crease pass to the tape of Troy Brouwer. Brouwer tapped the puck in for his fourth goal in as many nights.

However, the Penguins came back with two power play goals of their own later in the period. Pouliot scored a five-on-three goal by chipping in a rebound off a Christensen shot at 12:23.

Christensen then scored his second goal of the night on a four-on-three power play by splitting the defense and sending a shot under the glove at Crawford at 17:41. Norfolk trailed 6-1 after two periods.

Chris Durno scored his second goal of the season by depositing the rebound of a Colin Fraser shot into the cage at 1:50. Craig MacDonald capped scoring at 6-3 Penguins by converting a Brouwer feed with a five-hole shot on the power play at 14:59 of the final frame.

Corey Crawford picked up the loss with 17 stops on 23 shots through two periods. Mike Ayers played the third period and stopped all 16 shots he faced. Andrew Penner saw 29 shots and made 26 saves to earn the victory.

The Admirals were 2-7 on the power play. The Penguins were 3-8.

The Admirals (8-1-1-1) and Penguins (9-2-0-0) are now tied in first place of the East Division with 18 points each. Hershey (8-1-0-1) also lost their first game in regulation tonight and trails both Norfolk and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton by only one point.

The Admirals begin the second half of their six-game road trip by traveling to Providence to face the Bruins on Friday. The puck drops at 7:05, and the game can be heard on the radio at 1010-AM WRJR, 1270-AM WTJZ and 1450-AM WBVA. Fans may listen live online on sportsjuice.com.

Additionally, fans may watch the game online on a pay-per-view basis through the B2 Networks. Go to norfolkadmirals.com and click the B2 link on the right side of the page for more details.

The Admirals' stretch of undefeated games through regulation ended at ten games - the second-longest stretch of consecutive games with a point in franchise history (8-0-1-1, 18 points).

Admirals Rally to Beat Hartford in Overtime

HARTFORD, Connecticut - Brandon Bochenski scored the game-winner 1:41 into overtime for his fourth point on the night, as the Admirals defeated the Wolf Pack 4-3 in Hartford Saturday night.

The Wolf Pack took the early lead just 3:43 into the first period as Dwight Helminen deflected a Bryce Lampman shot for a power play goal. Lauri Korpikoski made it a two-goal lead for Hartford when he scored at 11:23.

Norfolk netminder Mike Ayers, making his Admirals' debut, was lifted in favor of Corey Crawford after the Korpikoski goal. Norfolk trailed 2-0 after one period.

The Admirals used two second period goals and thirteen saves from Crawford to tie the game at 2-2. While Norfolk was on the power play midway through the period, Craig MacDonald attempted a cross-ice pass from the corner to the right of Hartford goaltender Steve Valiquette.

The pass deflected off a Hartford defender in the slot to Troy Brouwer at the bottom of the left circle. Brouwer fired the puck past an unsuspecting Valiquette at 8:49.

Brouwer then set up the game-tying goal just over eight minutes later, as he sent a pass from the left circle to a pinching Dustin Byfuglien in the low slot. Byfuglien's initial shot was kicked away by Valiquette. However, Byfuglien picked up the rebound and buried it glove side at 16:51. The teams headed into the third period tied at 2-2.

Bochenski put the Admirals ahead briefly 1:13 into the third period, as he got past long-time NHL defenseman Darius Kasparaitis to break in on Valiquette. After being denied on his first shot, Bochenski stuffed home the rebound glove side to give Norfolk a 3-2 lead.

The lead was short-lived, as Ryan Callahan scored his own rebound goal just 44 seconds later at 1:57. After sixty minutes of hockey, the score was tied 3-3.

In overtime, Martin St. Pierre first made a strong defensive play to break up a Hartford two-on-one break before sending the puck up ice to Byfuglien. Byfuglien found Bochenski speeding through center ice toward the slot. Bochenski broke in on Valiquette and beat the goaltender with a snap shot glove-side 1:14 into overtime to give the Admirals a 4-3 victory.

Mike Ayers made five saves on seven shots in his Admirals debut and did not factor in the decision. Corey Crawford stopped 22 of 23 shots and earned the win. Steve Valiquette made 26 saves on 30 shots for Hartford and was saddled with the loss.

The Admirals were 1-6 on the power play. Hartford was 1-5.

Norfolk's win tonight coupled with a Wilkes-Barre/Scranton loss in Philadelphia puts the Admirals (8-0-1-1, 18 points) atop the East Division standings for the first time since March 2, 2005.

The Admirals defend their first place standing against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton tomorrow evening in Pennsylvania. The puck drops at 5:00, and the game can be heard on the radio at 1010-AM WRJR, 1270-AM WTJZ and 1450-AM WBVA. Fans may listen live online on sportsjuice.com.

Additionally, fans may watch the game online on a pay-per-view basis through the B2 Networks. Go to norfolkadmirals.com and click the B2 link on the right side of the page for more details.

With the win, the Admirals have picked up points in all ten games played so far. The Norfolk record for most consecutive games with a point is 12, set in the first 12 games of the 2002-03 season (Oct. 11 @ Portland - Nov. 7 versus Philadelphia).

Admirals' Winning Streak Ends in Shootout Loss

Nov. 3, 2006

NORFOLK (2) AT PORTLAND PIRATES (3) SO

PORTLAND, Maine - Despite coming from behind twice during regulation, the Admirals were unable to solve former teammate Michael Leighton in the shootout as they fell to the Portland Pirates 3-2 on Friday night in Portland.

The Pirates opened the game with a quick power play goal. Ryan Carter sent a heavy wrist shot past Admirals goalie Corey Crawford's glove hand just 43 seconds into the game. Portland controlled much of the play for the remainder of the period, as they peppered Crawford with 15 shots while the Admirals fired seven shots at Leighton.

With two minutes to go in the period, Martin St. Pierre made one of those shots count on the power play. St. Pierre received a pass from Brandon Bochenski in the high slot. He sent a sharp wrist shot through a screen and past Leighton to knot the score at 1-1 with 2:54 remaining in the period.

The Pirates re-assumed the lead midway through the second period. Crawford denied Brett Skinner's shot from the point but left a rebound loose in the crease. Colby Genoway found the rebound and stuffed it into the back of the net at 6:29. Norfolk trailed 2-1 after forty minutes.

Troy Brouwer evened the score at two goals apiece early in the third period. James Wisniewski sent a point shot toward the net on the power play. In similar fashion to his game-winning goal against the Sound Tigers on Wednesday, Brouwer deflected the shot past the goaltender with his back to the net. The goal at 2:34 was the only scoring of the third period, as the game required overtime.

The Admirals were unable to score in the extra session despite a late power play opportunity. In the shootout, Portland defenseman Brett Skinner was the only shooter who could solve Crawford, as his backhander sailed over the goaltender's left leg. The Admirals were unable to get a puck past Leighton in the shootout, as Portland prevailed 1-0 in the shootout and 3-2 in the game.

Crawford stopped 34 of 36 shots in the shootout loss. Michael Leighton stopped 19 of 21 shots for Portland and picked up the victory.

The Admirals were 2-8 on the power play. Portland was 1-3, ending the Norfolk streak of consecutive penalties killed at 26.

Despite the loss, the Admirals remain undefeated in regulation, having picked up points in all nine games played so far. The Norfolk record for most consecutive games with a point is 12, set in the first 12 games of the 2002-03 season (Oct. 11 @ Portland - Nov. 7 versus Philadelphia).

With their point earned tonight, Norfolk (7-0-1-1, 16 points) moves into a tie for the East Division lead with the idle Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (8-1-0-0, 16 points).

The Admirals travel to Hartford tomorrow night for a re-match of last weekend's series against the Wolf Pack. The puck drops at 7:00, and the game can be heard on the radio at 1010-AM WRJR, 1270-AM WTJZ and 1450-AM WBVA. Fans may listen live online on sportsjuice.com. Additionally, fans may watch the game online on a pay-per-view basis through the B2 Networks. Go to norfolkadmirals.com and click the B2 link on the right side of the page for more details.